Potato-digging machine.



M. MoILVBENE & L. A. HAYES.

POTATO DIGGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1911.

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COLUMBIA PLANoaRAPu C0..WASHINGTON, u. c.

M. MUILVBBNE & L. A. HAYES.

POTATO DIGGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APILZS, 1911.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

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COLUMBIA 010400211? CO-,WASIIINGTON. I)v C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MINEOLA MCILVEENE, OF LUEDERS, AND LEWIS A. HAYES, 0F WEATHERFORD,TEXAS.

POTATO-DIGGING MACHINE.

States, residing at Lueders, in the county of.

Jones, and Weatherford, in the county of Parker, respectively, and Stateof Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPotato-Digging Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention involves certaln improvements in potato diggingmachines of the type embodying suitable means for removing the potatoesfrom the ground, elevating the same to a suitable sieve which isagitated, and finally, feeding the potatoes to bags adapted to besupported at the delivery end of the machine.

Provision is made whereby the dirt is separated from the potatoesbetween the operations of removing the same from the ground and finallydepositing them in bags, as customary in such machines, the presentinvention residing particularly in the peculiar means employed forcutting the vines and excavating the potatoes.

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to behad to the following description and to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine embodying theinvention, the seat and adjacent parts removed for the purposes of clearillustration; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine with the nearwheel removed; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sec tion; Fig. 4 is adetail elevation of the dumping trough and means for supporting thesame.

Throughout the following detail description and on the several figuresof the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like referencecharacters.

In carrying out the invention, a machine built in accordance therewithcomprises a suitable horizontal frame 1, supported on an axle 2 andground wheels 3. At the front end of the frame 1 is a depending arm 4 towhich is pivotally secured a beam 5 having the rearwardly divergingmembers 6, the rear ends of which curve downwardly and are secured to ashovel 7 by which the potatoes are removed from the ground. The shovel 7has a grating 8 projecting upwardly therefrom, the bars of the gratingbeingsecured at one end to th'eshovel and at the other end to thetransversely curved.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 25, 1911.

Serial No. 623,241.

plate 9, the curvature of the grating and shovel corresponding. Spanningthe frame 1 are cross bars carrying a seat 10 and a longitudinal plate11, the latter having a toothed segment 12 cooperating with the latch ofa lever 13 pivoted to the plate 11.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912. i

The lever 13 is convenient to be grasped by i i the operator and has anarm connected by a rod 14 with a cross piece 15, the opposite ends ofwhich are secured to the rear por tions of the divergent members 6 ofthe standard 5. By operation of the lever 13, the shovel may be raisedor lowered bodily. Secured to the opposite portions of the divergentmembers 6, by means of clamp bolts 16, are the vertically arrangedcolters 17 which are formed with the downwardly and inwardly curvingblades 17 which are vertically adjustable by reason of the provision ofthe bolts 16. The blades 17 of the colters 17 have a curvatureconforming with p carrying at its opposite sides lateral knives V 21adapted to cut vines or weeds, the latter when out being thrownoutwardly in oppo site directions from the knives 21 by deflectors 22.The knife beam 20 is adapted for adjustment with and independently ofthe beam 5 by reason of the pivotal connection thereof to the cross rod18. A chain or similar connection 23 secured permanently at its lowerend to the beam 20 is adapted to be engaged at its upper portion with ahook 24 on the front end of the frame 1, whereby to hold the beam 20 andknives 21 at a suitable adjustment, either operative or inoperative. Oneof the spaced rear ends 19 of the beam 20 is projected upwardly andrearwardly from the rod 18 to provide a lever arm 25 adapted to beactuated by the operator on the seat 10 to readily raise the front endof the beam 20 with the knives 21.

Extending downwardly from the sides of I able into and out of engagementwith the the frame 1. The bell crank lever 32 is con nected by a shortrod 34 to a horizontal movable sieve 35. The sieve 35 is supported bytransverse guides 36 which project downwardly from the rear end of theframe, there being short projections 37 at the front bar of the sieveextending downwardly for coiiperation with the foremost of the guides36. The rearmost guide 36 is engaged by other projections 38 extendingbeneath the latter guide 36. The rearmost guide 36 has a downwardlyextending plate 39 at its rear edge, the latter forming a wall of atilting trough 40 which is pivoted intermediate its ends at 41 andadapted to be moved into either of oppositely inclined positions y endsof the trough 41 are bag supporting frames 43, and the potatoes droppinginto the trough from the sieve 35 are adapted to be alternately fed intobags located beneath opposite ends ofthe trough by proper ad-' justmentof the latter in an obvious manner a horizontal supporting plate 45 onwhich the filled bags;

Depending brackets 44 carry may rest. A gear 46 on the rear shaft 29meshes with a larger drive gear 47 carried by a stub shaft 48 on which asprocket gear 49 is mounted also, the latter being connected by a drivechain 50 with a sprocket gear 51 loosely'mounted on the axle 2.

The axle 2 rotates with the ground wheels 3 and a clutch member 52 issupported on the axle for rotation therewith and is movclutch member 53on the gear 51. A lever 54 is employed to control the operation of theclutch 52, a spring 55 normally tending to force said clutch member 52into engage-v ment with the clutch member 53. An arm 56 projectslaterally from the frame 1 and has a projection to cotiperate with thelever 54 in order to hold said lever in a position wherein the clutchparts 52 and 53 are not engaged.

In the operation of the machine, the potatoes are carried upwardly fromthe shovel 7 to the sieve 35 by means of the elevator 28, a portion ofthe dirt on the potatoes being separated therefrom as they pass alongthe rear portion of the shovel up the conveyer or elevator 28 and thebalance of the dirt separated from the potatoes by the movement of thesieve 35 which is constantly agitated while the machine is in operation.The adjustment of the trough 40 permits of directing the potatoes intoeither The means of a lever 42. At the opposite one of the bags whichmay be supported by the frames 43 and plate 45.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a potato digging machine the combination of a wheeled frame, ashovel beam pivoted to the front end of said frame, a shovel carried bythe rear end portion of said beam, colters adjustably mounted upon thesides of the beam in advance of the penetrating portion of the shovel,and a vine cutter arranged in advance of the colters and shovel, andmovably mounted upon the beam of the shovel.

2. In a potato digging machine, the combination of a wheeled frame, ashovel beam pivoted to the front end of said frame, a shovel carried bythe rear end portion of said beam, colters adjustably mounted upon thesides of the beam in advance of the penetrating portion of the shovel, avine cutter arranged in advance of the colters and shovel and movablymounted upon the beam of the shovel, an adjustable connection betweenthe front end of the vine cutter and the front end of the wheeled frame,and a lever arm projecting from the rear end of the vine cutter.

3. In a potato digging machine, the combination of a wheeled frame, ashovel beam pivoted at its front end to the front portion of said frameand comprising spaced rearwardly diverging members, a shovel carried bythe rear ends of said diverging members, a cross piece connecting saiddivergent members, a lever operably connected to the cross piece forraising and lowering the shovel beam, a cross rod also connecting thedivergent members, an auxiliary beam pivoted. at its rear end to saidcross rod, cutting knives carried by the front end of said auxiliarybeam, and an adjustable connection between the front portion of saidaux- I iliary beam and the frame.

4. In a potato digging machine, the combination of a wheeled frame,ashovel beam pivoted at its front end to the front portion of said frameand comprising spaced rearwardly diverging members, a shovel carried 1by the rear ends of said diverging members, a cross piece connectingsaid divergent members, a lever operably connected to the cross piecefor raising and lowering the shovel beam, a cross rod also connectingthe aforesaid to form a lever arm for movement of the auxiliary beam byan operator.

5. In a potato digging machine, the combination of a wheeled frame, ashovel beam pivoted at its front end to the front portion of the frameand comprising rearwardly diverging members extending downwardly attheir rear ends, a shovel carried by the rear ends of said divergingmembers, a lever mounted on the frame and connected with the shovel beamfor raising and lowering the same bodily, an auxiliary beam pivoted atits rear end to the rear portion of the shovel beam, cutting knives atthe front end of the auxiliary beam and arranged in advance of theshovel beam, and an adjustable connection between the front end of theauxiliary beam and the front end of the wheeled frame.

6. In a potato digging machine, the combination of a Wheeled frame, ashovel beam pivoted at its front end thereto and comprising rearwardlyextending divergent members curving downwardly at their rearextremities, a shovel carried by the rear ends of said members, a crossrod connecting the divergent members adjacent to their rear ends, anauxiliary beam consisting of spaced rearwardly extending members pivotedat their rear end portions to the cross rod for movement with the shovelbeam, one of the spaced members of the auxiliary beam being projectedbeyond the cross rod upwardly between the sides of the frame to form alever arm, a connection secured to the front end of the auxiliary beamand adapted for adjustable connection to the front end of the frame,cutting knives projecting from opposite sides of the front end of theauxiliary beam, deflectors in rear of said cutting knives, and coltersadjustably connected at their upper ends to the diverging members of theshovel beam and having their lower earth penetrating ends arrangedbetween the cutting knives and the shovel.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

MINEOLA MCILVEENE. LEWIS A. HAYES.

-Witnesses:

H. F. LONG, CARRIE GRIFFITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

